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American Airlines reverses course on plans for tighter legroom

American Airlines said Tuesday it’s reversing a decision to install three rows of seats with just 29 inches between them — a cramped arrangement more associated with discount airlines — on its new Boeing 737 Max jets set to arrive later this year.

FILE - This photo July 17, 2015, photo shows the tails of four American Airlines passenger planes parked at Miami International Airport, in Miami. American Airlines, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, says it will start selling âpremium economyâ service on international flights, with leather seats, entertainment systems and meals. The seats will cost more than coach but less than business class, although American isnât stating prices. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)(Alan Diaz / AP)

American Airlines said Tuesday it’s reversing a decision to install three rows of seats with just 29 inches between them — a cramped arrangement more associated with discount airlines — on its new Boeing 737 Max jets set to arrive later this year.

The news comes a month after news leaked that American was planning to fit more seats onto its new jets at the expense of passengers’ leg room, sparking an outcry from travelers who saw the move as another blow to service for coach customers.

In an internal memo posted Tuesday, the company said it reached the decision after receiving “a lot of feedback from both customers and team members.”

“It is clear that today, airline customers feel increasingly frustrated by their experiences and less valued when they fly,” the memo said. “We can be leaders in helping to turn around that perception, and that includes reviewing decisions that have significant impact on the flying experience.”

The seats on American’s latest version of the Boeing jet will still be more cramped than the Fort Worth-based carrier’s existing models.

The new 737 Max jets will have 30 inches of 'pitch' in the coach section, compared to 31 inches on current models. Pitch is the distance between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front or behind.

American initially planned to install three rows of seats with just 29-inch pitch in order to fit a total of 172 seats on the aircraft. That would have taken the company across a sub-30 inch threshold that so far only discount airlines like Spirit and Frontier have been willing to cross.

Instead, American said Tuesday it will remove one row of its roomier Main Cabin Extra seating to keep the seat count at 172 while offering 30 inches of pitch throughout coach.

The memo also pointed out that American’s new seats are thinner than older-generation seats, making them feel more spacious.

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While the reversal is one small victory for passengers, longer-term trends still point to airlines trying to squeeze even more passengers into each aircraft.

American is looking at a similar 30-inch pitch arrangement for its existing Boeing 737-800s. United Airlines also plans to add 8 to 12 seats per plane for its existing 737s as part of a broader effort to increase aircraft density across its fleet.